Graduate Recruitment

1. Graduate Recruitment Dr John Copelton Senior Careers Adviser

2. We will consider: • How to find out about employers • How to find out about vacancies • When to apply • How graduate selection works • The effect of postgraduate education

3. The graduate labour market by region Students at Queen’s have access to three labour markets. In order of size these are: • Great Britain • Republic of Ireland • Northern Ireland

4. Finding a graduate job

5. How to find out about employers in GB • Engineering Careers Symposium (14th March). • Graduate employer directories (Prospects, Hobsons). • Autumn Careers Fairs (details on careers website). • Employer presentations (details on careers website). • Ashby “Employer of the week”. • Useful web sites can be located from the Subject Weblinks section on the Careers website

6. Gradireland Directory. www.gradireland.com website. Careers Service Employer Library. Employer presentations. Work Experience. How to find out about employers in the ROI

7. How to find out about employers in NI • Employers in NI (www.qub.ac.uk/careers) >Quick links > Employer databases. • Companies Registry Office. • Belfast Public Library. • Job Markets.

8. How to find vacancies in GB • Autumn Careers Fairs • Employer Presentations • Employer Directories • www.prospects.ac.uk Home page>search for jobs • www.qub.ac.uk/careers > vacancies/courses • www.qub.ac.uk/careers >Targetedgrad • Specialist journals • Engineering institutions

9. How to find vacancies in ROI • www.gradireland.com. • Autumn Careers Fairs. • Employer Presentations. • www.qub.ac.uk/careers>vacancies. • Newspapers. • Speculative application.

10. How to find vacancies in NI • Autumn Careers Fairs. • www.qub.ac.uk/careers>vacancies. • www.qub.ac.uk/careers > vacancies/courses > other sources. • Belfast Telegraph (>£10k pn)/Irish Times • Job Centres www.jobcentreonline.com. • Local Universities. • Civil Service.

11. Local “graduate into work” schemes • Explorers 2 • Financial Futures • KTP • Premiere II

12. Most major employers adhere to an annual recruitment cycle. Applications are expected between October and Christmas. Most application forms are on-line. Increasingly initial interviews are by telephone. The process is complete by Easter. When to apply in GB

13. When to apply in NI/ROI • Only a relatively small number of companies recruit on a regular basis. • Vacancies can be advertised throughout the year, including exam times. • In NI many companies effectively shut down recruitment activity during July/August and in December/January. • Queen’s Careers Service encourages companies who may intend to recruit later in the current year to attend the NI Graduate Recruitment Fair in June.

14. Employers in NI must advertise their vacancies so that they are equally likely to be seen by all sections of the community. It is recommended that employers prepare a Job Description and Personnel Specification. The Personnel Specification must be job-related, ability-based, measurable and observable. Advertisements must state essential/desirable criteria. Employers must record the religious affiliation of all applicants using a monitoring form. NI Fair Employment Law

15. Graduate selection in practice • Top companies require 2.1 or better. • All candidates for engineering positions will have studied similar subjects. • The knowledge you acquire in your degree will not be the deciding factor in whether you get a job. • Most engineering employers consider BEng as well as MEng.

16. Selection Cascade • Applications/employer = 3700 (GTI Graduate Trends Survey 2004). • Roughly 1 in 3 made it to interview (1200). • 1 in 3 were invited to attend an assessment centre (400). • Of these, 1 in 3 were offered a job (124). • What will make your application stand out?

17. How do companies decide who is the best candidate for the job? • Companies identify individuals within their organisation who do a job particularly effectively. • A competency framework is developed. • A typical competency framework covers generic skills i.e. • Oral and written communication • Planning and organising • Decision making • Initiative/drive • Teamwork • Adapting to change • Problem solving How can you prove that you possess these skills?

18. What do top employers want? • Good degree – 2.1 minimum. • Reputable university (Queen’s is in the UK top 20). • Experience – preferably full sandwich. • Evidence that you possess the key skills required. • Achievements. • Business awareness. • Evidence of motivation. • Mobility.

19. On-line application forms now account for > 80% and are available from company websites. The application form is usually competency based and will ask for evidence of your abilities. Do not attempt to complete the form on-line. Copy it off and word process your responses. Then cut and paste these into the on-line form. You may have to take an on-line psychometric test in real-time. Make sure you allow enough time to complete the process properly. On-line applications

20. BT On-Line Application Form Question • BT puts customers at the heart of everything it does. A customer is anyone we do work for. Think of a time when you were involved with one or more “customers”. • What was your role? • Who were your customers? • What was the setting? • In particular, think back to a time when you had a difficult situation with a customer. • Describe the situation. • What did you want to achieve? • What actions did you take to address the situation and why? • What was the outcome? • What would you do differently if you were in the same situation again?

21. Do your homework on the company. Make a list of your “key selling points”. Prioritise your list. Telephone interviews are becoming more common. Keep your notes in a handy file that you can refer to during the interview. Interviews

22. Assessment Centres • Company Presentation/Dinner/Bar. • Psychometric tests (QCS offers practice sessions). • Group work exercises (study the rules). • Presentations (class presentations are useful practice). • Interviews (QCS can offer practice interviews). • View the video “Two Whole Days”.

23. Options for engineers wishing to stay in NI • Working for a local engineering employer • Have your CV ready by the start of final year • Keep in touch with the Careers Service (SMS) • Try to get a local vacation/sandwich placement • Be prepared to be flexible • Accountancy (apply in October) • Management Consultancy (October Careers Fair) • Northern Ireland Graduate Recruitment Fair (June) • Postgraduate study • Teacher training (PGCE QUB 1st November) • Graduate training programmes • KTP • Explorers • Premiere II

24. Engineering Careers SymposiumWednesday 14th March 2007Ashby Building

25. Reasons for considering postgraduate study Interest in the subject Academic ambition Long term job prospects BEng – CEng progression More time to consider career options Postgraduate education?

26. Postgraduate routes Taught courses • Diploma – normally 9 months • Masters – normally 12 months Research • PhD – normally 3 years

27. Fees for postgraduate study • www.qub.ac.uk/pao • MSc/PhD fees £3010 (EU) £8990 (Non-EU). • Closing date for applications – End April. • Notification of outcome - August

28. Postgraduate education Funding • Diploma – No E&LB funding in 2005/6. • Masters – No funding. • PhD – (DEL: Fees + £12K maintenance). • PhD –(CAST Studentships: Fees + £10.5K + £4.2K). • For further information - www.qub.ac.uk/pao.

29. The effects of postgraduate education PhD’s are: • Less likely to be unemployed. • More likely to be working as engineers. • More likely to be working in GB. • More likely to be working for a multi-national. • More likely to achieve higher earnings over their lifetime.